Written By : Ulukai
August 2004

Recently Microsoft has released a new version of their messenger software: the web messenger.
Although still in its beta stage, it looks very promising.

Since the beginning of the web, people have sought to contact each other in an easy way.
Instant messengers began to emerge to allow people to communicate much like a telephone call.
These messengers grew out to contain a variety of means to communicate.
You can use simple text messages to communicate or voice chats or even video conferencing.
Yahoo, MSN, ICQ and AIM are just a few of the popular choices out there, which host these types of communication in their messengers.

Each of the messengers renew themselves every year or so.
They add new features, icons or styles.
Something they have in common is that they have to be installed locally on the computer.

Here's where MSN web messenger comes in.
It is a web based messenger, meaning that it will load everything off the web and not install anything locally on the computer.
This hosts a variety of benefits.

The computer only uses one port to communicate, which is the same port as for web traffic. Since there's nothing being installed, the computer itself remains clean from any installation of (unwanted) software. It also means that the messenger isn't operating system dependant, any computer with a web browser will do. This should mean you can almost use it anywhere you want.

On the down side, people can bypass the firewall and use this messenger.
This means they can use it anywhere they want, which is not what many companies would like to see. Lucky for us system administrators, websites can be blocked. :)

To start MSN Web Messenger you simply surf to the website http://webmessenger.msn.com

Here you get an explanation of what it exactly is and what you exactly need.
One thing they are sure to mention is the fact you need to turn of your popup blocker for this site. People who installed Windows XP SP 2 surely get a notice of that.

The next step is logging in, after hitting the start button
This looks almost the same as the regular MSN messenger.

After you login, you can chat to your friends, family or co-workers.
The messenger even notices you if you have email on your hotmail account, if you use that as passport to login.

As you can see, you can add a contact, send an instant message, send E-mail and provide feedback.

Here's an example of what a message looks like.

As this is a beta version, things can still change. It's clearly stated on the webpage that this is a basic messenger, it looks promising though.

All in all it's a nice start

The only thing that annoyed me that the sound can't be turned off, a choice I think should be present.
It can be used anywhere you want, which is a plus.
It's a basic messenger without allot of hassle for a quick chat with your friend or family.

+++

We'd love to hear your thoughts on this article. Just follow This Link.
You may even win our monthly "Star Letter" award!